Polk RTA 15TL with RDO-194 tweeters

ViperZ

Hi all,
Haven't posted here in ages, mostly because I didn't have any Polk speakers in the mix!

I have an opportunity to get a pair of RTA-15TL with upgraded RDO-194 tweeters locally.

These would go into my 2nd system, where I generally rotate 1970s receivers (Marantz, Pioneer, Sansui, etc.) in 30-100 wpc range. Right now I have Marantz 4270 in that system.

Would this be a good pairing? I'd like a full-range sound and the speakers that the receiver can drive properly.

Thank you.

F1nut

Those are the wrong tweeters for that model.

pkquat

F1nut wrote: »

Those are the wrong tweeters for that model.

Yes check if they are actually 194's or if they are 198's. They are supposed to be 198's. People have said the tweeter is a bit hot, to keep up with 4 mids, and the bass is boomy in a lot of room conditions. A few searches should bring up info on that. People have done some mods to the crossovers and PRs for what they claim is a much better sound. That said, they do fall into the category of a full range speaker than can produce ample bass you can feel.

I am not sure about the power requirements.

ViperZ

Here is a photo of the speakers. I'm going to go see them today. Is there a way to tell by looking from the outside, or would I have to take them out? Thank you.

ViperZ

The owner confirmed they are RDO-198

ZLTFUL

Where is the plastic "wing" that goes above the tweeter? It helps prevent waveform interaction between the top woofer and the tweeter...

F1nut

I can see the adhesive residue of where they were.

ViperZ

Obviously, the plastic wing is long gone...

I listened to them for a bit with Bryston amplifier at 120wpc.. Obviously 20-30 minutes is not long enough to make up an opinion. We listened to a few songs (CDs), including Whole Lotta Love.
The imaging was great. The highs were clear and transparent, very detailed. The mids were good too.
Now comes the part that I didn't like. Maybe these speakers just can't reproduce what I want, but the bass sounded boomy at mid-bass frequencies. It was just obvious. And I couldn't hear the bass guitar going down to the low frequencies, it would just muddy out.

Maybe my expectations were too high... I'm looking for something that I can drive with 30-70 watts per channel (receivers, so lower damping factor too), and expect a full range sound. Is it unrealistic? Should I go back and get these 15TLs? They are cheap, and he is 15-minute drive from me.. But I just didn't feel really involved with that type of sound.

F1nut

You don't have enough power to drive them properly. They also need to be 3 feet from the rear wall otherwise they boom. Spikes help regardless.

ViperZ

Thank you for your input, F1nut. They definitely wouldn't go into my main system, so that's the power these will see. I actually do have ~5-6 feet behind speakers in my listening room, but the seller had them ~2-3 feet from the walls.
Oh well, I may have to keep looking. These were way under my maximum budget, damn.

delkal

So how much under your maximum budget are these?

ViperZ

I'm looking for speakers up to $500 USD budget. These were 300 CDN, so half... I'm not really considering speakers based on how big of a deal I can get. I really want speakers that I would keep for at least several years, so if I have to go to the top or slightly over expected budget, so be it.

dromunds

Where are you located?

ViperZ

Toronto, Canada

pkquat

I'd say the price is fair from what I have seen. DSkip might be a good reference if you are looking for more info. This is the, or one of the mod threads.

http://forum.polkaudio.com/discussion/48075/modifications-to-the-rta-15tl

[Deleted User]

Funny how not getting that weekly pay check changes or cuts out certain things like eating or prescribed meds that are supposedly mandatory to keep you alive. Give me a party size bag of M&M's and a gallon of milk and I'm good for a week. Pretty much every project or hobby-ish thing in my life got set aside after my wife made me stop working.